MovieWise

Unfiltered reviews. Cinematic depth.

Mode
Ralph Dunn Biography and Full Filmography - MovieWise

Quick Facts

Born:
1900-05-22

Birthplace:
Titusville, Pennsylvania, USA

Credits:
191 Total Roles

Ralph Dunn

Acting

The MovieWise Take

Refining cinematic analysis...

Biography

Ralph Dunn was an American film, television, and stage actor.

Dunn was born in Titusville, Pennsylvania and spent early years living with relatives in Canton, Illinois. Dunn's father was a veterinarian for the U.S. Army during WWI, and his mother was an actress. Dunn was enrolled briefly at the University of Pennsylvania, but left after one day to join a Vaudeville troupe.

Ralph Dunn used his burly body and rich, theatrical voice to good effect in hundreds of minor feature-film roles and supporting appearances in two-reel comedies. He came to Hollywood during the early talkie era, beginning his film career with 1932's The Crowd Roars.

A large man with a withering glare, Dunn was an ideal "opposite" for short, bumbling comedians. A frequent visitor to the Columbia short subjects unit, Dunn showed up in the Three Stooges comedies Mummy's Dummies, as well as Who Done It? and its remake, For Crimin' Out Loud

Dunn kept busy into the 1960s, appearing in such TV series as Kitty Foyle, and Norby and such films as Black Like Me.

Known For

Full Filmography

Year Title Role
1962 Arsenic & Old Lace MOVIE Lt. Rooney
1960 The Devil to Pay MOVIE The Furnace Man
1957 The Pajama Game MOVIE Myron Hasler
1956 Crowded Paradise MOVIE Self
1956 For Crimin' Out Loud MOVIE Baddie (archive footage)
1955 Norby TV Mr. Rudge
1954 Summer Playhouse TV Self
1953 Sentence of Death MOVIE Sergeant MacReynolds
1953 Taxi MOVIE Rafferty (uncredited)
1951 Hallmark Hall of Fame TV Lieutenant Rooney

Cinema in your inbox.

Weekly deep-dives and cinematic perspectives delivered to you.

By joining, you agree to our Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.